


Best Boys

by Wherever_Girl



Category: Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
Genre: Bromance, Friendship, Gen, Hints of Shipping, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-10-11 00:26:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17436359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wherever_Girl/pseuds/Wherever_Girl
Summary: Just a series of drabbles centered around my two favorite characters. Will mostly include humor, fluff, maybe shipping (?), and just the two chilling together. ...But mostly fluff. Expect fluff.





	1. French Fries

**Author's Note:**

> After playing the P3 side of Persona Q... this had to be done. I was hoping for some interactions between my faves, I got them--- and inspiration followed. Enjoy!

“So, Chidori’s your girl, huh?” Kanji asked as they sat at the table, splitting some fries. On the other end, Theo, Minato, Rise, Aigis and Marie were enjoying their treats, the male assistant going on about what a wonderful time he was having.

“Yeah, I can’t wait to see her again,” Junpei answered, having been talking about the gothic Lolita for the last two minutes.

“How did she end up in the hospital? Is she okay?”

Junpei tilted his cap forth a bit, his smile fading. “She’s fine, but… it’s complicated. See, she’s not exactly on ‘our’ side…” He then explained the other Persona users, known as Strega, and how Chidori was part of their group; after making her think he was the leader, she ended up capturing him, only to be apprehended by the others. “…I’ve been visiting her in the hospital almost every day. I got worried when she…” he paused, shaking his head. “N-Never mind. What matters is she’s been doing better--- and I want to get home to her soon to make sure she’s alright,”

“I don’t blame you,” The rebel took another fry, noticing something. “Hey, you still want half?”

“Huh?”

“You haven’t touched our fries since you started talking about your girlfriend,”

Junpei blushed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Eh heh, actually… she’s not my girlfriend--- yet. I think she’s still warming up to me,” he confessed.

“Seriously? The way you talk about her, I figured you two were going steady! It’s always ‘Chidorita’ this, or ‘Chidorita’ that. ‘Chidorita is waiting for me!’… and now you’re saying she’s still warming up to ya?”

“Well… she did say I was weird when I first started talking to her--- but then again, I thought the same thing when I first saw her. But after I started talking to her… I dunno, I just felt something between us. I felt my heart ache a little when she turned out to be with Strega, but something inside told me to go to the hospital and see her. Which, I’m glad I did--- she was being treated like a prisoner; I was the only one to make her feel more like a friend than an enemy. I got her a sketchbook, told her about my dreams of being a baseball player, and the more I visited, the more I felt something. …I mean, you’ve felt that way before, right?”

Kanji rubbed the back of his neck; he thought back to when he first met Naoto (believing she was a boy at the time), how she just asked to hang out, being ‘interested’ in his company. Before he met Yu and the rest, he didn’t consider himself a social butterfly, so he didn’t know what to make of it and felt confused. When they met up, he was nervous, not knowing exactly what to say or do.

When they met up at Club Escapade some time later after he joined the Investigation Team, he felt himself grow nauseas, taking heavy breaths in order to calm himself down… of course, after the dreaded ‘King’s Game’ incident, he lost sight of his nerves for a while. They spiked again when Naoto appeared on the Midnight Channel, and his confusion returned when it was revealed the Ace Detective was a girl.

There might have been something during all that; nowadays, he felt something between them… but couldn’t be so sure. For one thing, he had zero idea if she felt the same way or not!

“I’m… not really sure. I never really hung out with many people, including girls.” Kanji muttered. “Actually, after what happened when I was a kid… uh, never mind.”

“What? What happened?” Junpei asked, intrigued.

“I said never mind!”

“Geez, sorry…”

“What are you two talking about?” Rise questioned; it was then the two noticed the table had grown quiet.

“Just, uh…” Kanji sputtered.

“Chidori! I’ve been telling Kanji all about my beloved Chidorita,” Junpei covered.

“How wonderful! …I’m curious, little brother, do you have a girlfriend as well? Is there a chance I will have to make time in my busy life to be the best man at your future wedding?” Theo asked.

Kanji slapped his forehead, while Junpei contained a snicker. “For the last time, we’re not brothers, you idiot!” the rebel snapped. Why did Aigis have to make that assumption?!

“Hmph. How rude. I will have to tell our mother about this,”

“We don’t have the same mother! Shut up!”

“Oh! So we share a father instead?”

“Gaaaah…!”

“We should head back,” Minato spoke up. “We still need to finish exploring the new Labyrinth.”

“Yeah, well, you have fun with that. …Thanks for the ice-cream, by the way.” Marie answered, walking off.

“I should attend to my duties as well. Thank you for showing me around, Minato-san!” Theo said with a humble bow, before leaving.

“I’m going to go find Fuuka-san. Meet you guys at the entrance!” Rise exclaimed, taking off.

Minato looked at Junpei and Kanji. “Do you guys want to be on the team this time? Shinjiro and Yukiko said they could use a break,”

“Sure, we’ll meet you in front of the Labyrinth once we’re done with our fries,” Junpei answered. Minato gave a nod, walking off.

Kanji sighed with relief. “Thanks for the cover,”

“No problem, Kanji-kun. But, uh… what happened when you were a kid? If it’s really serious, you don’t have to tell me,”

The rebel shifted. Outside of Yu-senpai, he wasn’t comfortable talking about his past with people… but Junpei seemed to be an exception. Unlike Yosuke, he didn’t poke fun at his sewing hobby or anything. “Well… when I was a kid, I was really into sewing and shit like that--- still am, sorta… but one day I fixed a girl’s backpack, and a buncha other girls came over and laughed about it, saying I should be into more ‘manly’ things. The one girl ended up running off crying… and since then I started acting like a hardass,”

“Tch, are you serious?” Junpei questioned; not in a mocking way, but more appalled. “Dude, Minato-san is in the sewing club at our school! And he’s not the only guy there--- he and a transfer student started making a kimono! Plus, I’ve seen that Zen doll you made for Rei--- you know how many girls would flip if their boyfriends could do that?”

Kanji blushed. “Y-You think I’m that good?”

“Hell yes! You make clothes too, right? I heard how you were giving Theo tips about how he should thread his armor and stuff--- hey…” A bright look appeared in his eyes. “Can you make a dress?”

“Um… I can try…? Why do you ask?”

“To take to Chidori--- I’ve always just seen her in that one dress, and all she’s got now is a hospital gown… She could use a new dress. A Gothic-Lolita styled one, if you can manage it.”

“I could give it a try… but…”

“But what?”

“Well, we’re not from the same time or place, Junpei-san. It’ll be, what, two years later by the time I have the dress done. I could make it here, and you could take it with you--- if there’s enough materials to be found,”

“Huh, I didn’t think about that… plus, it might be a while before we head back, and I don’t want to carry a dress around and risk it getting ruined…”

“How about a doll, then? …Does she like dolls?”

“Um… I don’t think so… the most I know is that she likes to draw,” Junpei rubbed the back of his neck. “…damn, come to think of it, I never really asked much about her interests. Tch, some boyfriend I’d be--- going on about my hopes and dreams, and the most I know from her is her hobby, and that she---“ he stopped himself again.

“She… what? C’mon, spit it out!”

Junpei shook his head. “No, it’s… pretty personal.”

“C’mon, I told you my secret, now it’s your turn.”

“Fine… but I don’t want you bringing it up, got it? I mean it--- you talk about it, I’ll shove a sword up your ass!”

Kanji raised his hands in defense. “Alright, I promise. Calm down. …er, is it something serious? Is there something wrong with her?”

Junpei sighed, stirring a fry in some mayo. “Chidori… harms herself. One day, I saw her hand bleeding and… I dunno, I figured she just scratched it. Then back at the hospital, she cut herself again, and… she just wasn’t acting right. The thing is, people scare her; I think I’m the only one she feels comfortable enough to talk to… maybe. I just think that’s the reason I feel something between us--- that if I keep visiting her, she’ll open up more, and... not think about hurting herself again.”

Kanji sat there quietly. Shit, so Chidori cut herself? He had heard things about that on the news, but never from someone in real life. He noticed the look on Junpei’s face--- pure concern. If anything were to happen to his ‘beloved Chidorita’, he’d probably shatter…

“You’re going to make a great boyfriend, Junpei.” The rebel said, quietly.

“Hm?” Junpei looked up.

“You hardly know this girl, but you still care enough about her that you’d do anything to make sure she stops hurting herself. And you want to know more about her… I think that’s really sweet. She’s lucky to have a guy like you around,”

The class-clown smiled, a blush to his face which he tried to hide with his cap. “T-Thanks, Kanji-kun… But, don’t tell anyone about it, alright? I don’t want them getting concerned or calling her an emo…”

Kanji patted him on the shoulder. “Hey, you were nice about my sewing hobby. Your secret’s safe with me,”

“Thanks, dude.” Clearing his throat, Junpei stood up. “C’mon, the others are probably waiting on us.”

“Yeah… the fries got cold, anyway.” Kanji scoffed with a smirk, following him out of the cafeteria.

 

 


	2. It All Started With A 'Poink'!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After giving his definition of the word 'poink', Junpei notices Kanji looks flustered. Deciding to have a little fun, he decides to take the rebel somewhere private... though, not for the reasons you may think. (Part One of Two)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fan-service warning for this chapter, that's all I'm gonna say.

“…No way! That can’t be what ‘Poink’ means!” Akihiko snapped, appalled.

“Believe it, senpai! That is the clear definition!” Junpei smirked.

“Is that even possible?” Kanji asked, feeling a little flustered with the debate.

“I thought it had something to do with bras popping off, not… that!” Yosuke sputtered.

“It’s one of those words that has two different definitions, depending how you use it… I forget what the proper term is called,” Junpei said.

“How do you know this, exactly?” Shinjiro asked.

“Yes, Junpei-san! Share your knowledge with us!” Teddie exclaimed.

“Hey, when you’ve read plenty of hentai, you learn terms pretty fast,” Junpei boasted.

“D-Don’t tell him that! He’ll think it’s true, and go through my--- I mean, try to buy lewd mangas!” Yosuke snapped.

“I-I still don’t see how it’s possible…” Kanji muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

“…Forget I even asked.” Akihiko sighed, walking away. Shinjiro followed, not wanting to stick around after that topic.

“I’m going to go tell the girls all this! Rei-chan will be so pleased to know what ‘Poink’ really means!” Teddie exclaimed, running down the hall.

“TEDDIE, NO!” Yosuke shouted, chasing after him.

That left Junpei and Kanji in the hall, alone… save for the clamor of students who walked around, but paid them no mind outside of bringing up how fun the school festival was. The rebel was blushing, feeling flustered about the conversation, though Junpei was shaking his head in amusement.

“Junpei-san… how… how did you really find out about that?” Kanji asked. “I mean, I thought that was only possible if… ‘it’ were…”

“I told you, I read it in a hentai once. Kind of a rare one, since the rest feature ‘it’---“ he jokingly used quotations to tease Kanji a bit. “--- is normally up and ready. But yeah, I’d say it’s possible,” he grinned. “Want me to prove it? …I mean, unless you can’t handle the subject matter,”

Kanji tensed up, giving him a look. “Of course I can handle it! Prove it!”

Junpei chuckled. “Alright, I’ll show you. This way,”

Kanji arched an eyebrow, but followed him. They walked upstairs, heading towards the library. Maybe he was going to find it in a book, or use one of the computers to look it up? …But if that were the case, what book would he know to grab, and what made him think this realm had internet service?

Still, he followed Junpei, who walked to the far back. The library was empty, probably due to all the ‘students’ wandering around the exhibits outside. “This should be private enough--- no one ever hits the library during a school fest,” he said to himself, rubbing his chin.

“P-Private? Why does it have to be…?” Kanji began to ask… before suddenly Junpei was placing his hands on his shoulders, making him sit back in a chair! “Whoa! J-Junpei-san, what’re you---?!”

“I’m showing you how ‘poinking’ is done,” Junpei replied, his tone suddenly seductive, a lustful look in his eye as he leaned over Kanji.

“W-Wait…!” Kanji gripped him by the shoulders, holding him back--- thank God he had more strength than the class-clown! “I-I-I don’t want it done to me!”

“I figured that… so I figured I’d let you do it to me,”

“WHAT?!” Kanji felt his face heat up. “Junpei-san… n-no, I can’t! We can’t! Just… no, I don’t want to do it!”

Junpei smirked… then bit his lip, before snickering, and busting out laughing! “Oh man, dude! I can’t believe you actually bought that! …And that was my worst performance!”

“H-Huh?! The hell are you talking about?!”

The class-clown took a deep breath, still smiling. “I noticed how flustered you looked, and when you kept asking if it were possible, well… I figured I’d mess with ya a bit. I was planning on pulling this trick on Akihiko-senpai, but your reaction’s just as funny,”

The rebel fumed, standing up. “So it was just a sick joke to ya, huh?! …Dammit, Junpei, what if I didn’t stop ya?! How far did you plan on taking it?!”

Junpei backed away, giving a weak laugh. “N-Not far at all! I probably would have just sat on your lap and watch you freak out!”

“O-Oh yeah?! Well… what if I didn’t freak out, huh? What if I liked it?!” he had Junpei up against the wall now in a corner, both arms on either side of his head to block his chance for escape.

“I-I’d call your bluff!” The humor in his eyes had faded, replaced by fear as Kanji loomed over him. “I’d probably egg you on--- maybe kiss you or something!”

The rebel leaned forth, his glare filled with challenge. “Yeah? What if I kissed you back?”

Junpei felt himself beginning to sweat. “T-Then… I would… p-probably straddle you, an… GAH, WHAT AM I SAYING?!” he clutched his head, appalled at his words.

Kanji moved back, having a smirk of his own. “Oh? And if I didn’t stop you?” he pressed, having fun giving the Gekkoukan student a taste of his own medicine.

“No, no, I’m not saying anything else!” Junpei tried to shove his way past, but Kanji caught him, pulling him down… both of them in the chair, the class-clown on the rebel’s lap! “Augh!”

“Go on, Junpei, what would you do next?”

“Call the police!? Kanji, pleeeaaase…! Let me go! I’m sorry!”

Kanji lost it, bursting out laughing. “Ha! Gotcha! Doesn’t feel good, does it?!”

Junpei let out a heavy sigh, taking deep breaths. “Geez… don’t do that!”

“Hey, you’re the one who started it! Saying all that shit just to embarrass someone… I bet you made up that ‘poink’ definition too, just to get a reaction out of everyone!”

“N-No I didn’t! *groan* I was looking up hentai online once, and found the term in a manga. …I mean, geez, Kanji, did you really think I’d be limp if I wanted to do it with you?”

Kanji arched an eyebrow. “W-What’s that supposed to mean?”

The class-clown gave a jolt. “I didn’t mean it like that---! I mean, if I were attracted to you---! Gaaaahhh, why am I still on your lap?!” he tried pushing back, but too hard and he fell over.

Kanji gasped, grabbing onto his jacket to catch him, but ended up falling too!

*Thud!*

Both of them were sprawled out on the floor. “Ow…” both moaned.

“You okay, Junpei-san?” Kanji grunted.

“Yeah… I landed on my head…” Junpei quipped. “You?”

“Yeah… I landed on your… everything.”

“(oof) so I noticed… can you get off, please? I need to breathe,”

“Sure,” Kanji rolled off of him, lying on his back, both of them staring up at the ceiling. “So… it really is possible?”

“Yeah… I think the other thing has to be loose though,”

“Loose? W-What do you mean?”

“Well, from what I read, you can’t just cram it in there--- that can hurt your partner. I’ve read ero-mangas where the guy uses his tongue and fingers to prepare it, getting everything wet enough so it can slide in smoothly. I don’t think it would be as harmful if the thing was limp, but you never know,”

“So sex can hurt, huh? I didn’t know that…”

“Never read hentai, huh?”

“I didn’t even know what ‘hentai’ was… until Teddie told be about finding them in Yosuke-senpai’s room.” He felt himself blush. “I-I try not to think about it… I mean… I dunno if I can do it. I get nervous just thinking about it!”

“Heh, it’s okay, Kanji-kun. Everyone gets nervous about it. Hell, you saw how I was acting when I thought you were serious!”

“I thought that was because you didn’t want to do it!”

“I didn’t! But… those same nerves creep up on the first time too,”

“Junpei-san… have you ever actually… done it?”

“U-Uh… well… no. I just read about it. I mean, I’ve tried, but kept getting shot down!”

Kanji rolled his eyes. “Tch, I wonder why…”

Junpei gave him a look. “What do you mean by that?!”

“Oh c’mon, the way you were acting, I felt like I should be carrying pepper-spray! I’ve seen Yosuke-senpai get bitch-slapped time-and-again for acting less creepy!”

“Yeah? Your flirting method wasn’t working either!”

“I wasn’t flirting, I was getting you back for your trick! If I really flirted with someone… well… I’d try not to scare them off, for one thing!”

Junpei turned on his side, facing him. “No offense, Kanji-kun, but you come off pretty scary. Even Koromaru won’t go near you!”

Kanji sat up, glaring at him. “I’m not always scary! Nanako’s not scared of me, and she’s only six! A-And Naoto was never scared of me! Or Rise! So I could land a girl if I tried! And I sure as hell wouldn’t creep them out like you do!”

“Okay, then… so how would you suggest I flirt with girls?” Junpei challenged, sitting up next to him.

Kanji paused, thinking for a moment. “W-Well… I-I’d just start off saying ‘hi’ to them, and make small talk. N-Nothing too forward, and maybe learn about her interests. Like… what would you bring up if someone asked?”

Junpei shrugged. “I like baseball, see what she’d think of that.”

“R-Right, and I’d bring up… I don’t know, cute animals maybe. I don’t think I’d be comfortable bringing up sewing yet, in case she thought it was weird…”

“It doesn’t sound weird to me… but go on. Tell me what you’d do on a date,”

“I’d… take her to see a movie, or go out for dinner first. Then we could take a walk--- there’s a river in our town, so maybe she’d like to look at that, or I’d take her to the hill that overlooks our town. Somewhere with beautiful scenery,” he shifted. “We’d sit down somewhere, and just look out at the view,”

“Pretty sweet… What if she got close to you?” Junpei shifted closer as he said this.

“Then… maybe I’d hold her hand?”

“Really? Just hold her hand?”

“I-It would be the way I held it!” Kanji grabbed his hand, holding it gently, caressing the top of it with his thumb. “Something like this… I’d grasp it softly enough so that she knows I like her, but not trying to be forward--- if I held it too tight, I’d probably scare her, so I’d have to be careful, just like when I’m handling materials when sewing, y’know?”

The class-clown blushed a bit; Kanji’s hands were large and strong, but felt smooth and warm. He gathered his thoughts. “O-Okay, but… what if she were expecting something else? Like, you putting your arm around her?”

“I’d do that… b-but only on the walk home. I mean, if it were dark out, I’d want her to feel safe. Chie-senpai said there’s some bullies running around our neighborhood, and I wouldn’t want ‘em laying a hand on my date. I’d walk her all the way home, and make sure she was safe inside,”

Junpei thought back to the time Fuuka went missing; he remembered how he, Yukari and Minato went looking for answers in a gritty side of Port Island Station (against his reasoning), and one of the thugs there knocked the air right out of him with one punch to the gut.

Looking at Kanji--- who looked as fierce as Shinjiro--- there was a chance none of them would dare come close if he were around. “Yeah… she’d feel really safe with you around.” He shook his head. “But, what if she wanted to go somewhere private? What would you do then?”

“Private?” Kanji rubbed the back of his neck. “Well… then… I guess we could go to my room--- or her room, depending on where she’d feel comfortable. Then… maybe sit down on the couch. T-Then… I guess I’d wait for her to make a move, j-just so she wouldn’t think I was in a rush,”

“So, something like…” He rested his head on the rebel’s shoulder. “This? What would you do then?”

“Um… I… I guess I would…” Nervously, he let go of Junpei’s hand and wrapped his arm around the class-clown’s shoulders. “Do this,”

Junpei shut his eyes; his hand rested in his lap now as he scooted closer. “Nice… then what would you do?”

Kanji shrugged; he was looking ahead--- at nothing in particular--- as he rubbed the class-clown’s shoulder, tipping his head so it rested against his. “Probably just sit like this for a while, let her cuddle against me… if she wanted to,”

Shifting onto his side, the class-clown wrapped an arm around the rebel’s abdomen, resting his head on his chest; he could hear his heartbeat, slow and steady but picking up pace. “Like this?”

“Yeah…” he reached up with his free hand, holding Junpei’s, their fingers interlocking. “Just like this,”

Junpei nuzzled against him. “So… what if she wanted to do something more?”

“Then…” Kanji shifted, so that he was face-to-face with Junpei; he let go of his hand (which rested on his arm) and reached up, resting his palm on his cheek, caressing his face. Locking eyes, he noticed just how much his blue eyes sparkled. “I would lean close, slowly… and if she was okay with it…”

“Yeah…?”

“I… would…” Kanji closed his eyes, leaning closer…

Junpei closed his eyes, feeling soft lips on his own; he rubbed Kanji’s arm, feeling the muscles, while the rebel wrapped his arm around him again, rubbing his back. They gave each other gentle smooches, before deepening the kiss. Kanji rolled on his back, pulling Junpei on top of him, holding each other as close as possible.

After a moment, they broke out of the kiss for air. “What… what would you do… if she wanted… more?” Junpei panted.

“Depends… what… she had… in mind…” Kanji panted.

“I dunno… what if… she wanted to… wanted to…”

“Poink?”

Junpei paused once the word registered; he and Kanji looked at each other, both of them cracking smiles; the class-clown buried his face in his chest bursting into guffaws, while the rebel stifled his mouth to contain his own laughter. After taking some deep breaths, they calmed down. “Maybe you shouldn’t go THAT far…”

“Yeah, yeah, too soon… right,” Kanji let out a sigh; Junpei kept his head rested on his chest, and he rubbed his back. “Maybe just this then… I like this.”

“Yeah, I like it too…”

…

…

…

“GAAAAAAAAAHHHH!” Both boys screamed, when the reality of the situation suddenly sunk in!

Junpei scrambled off, while Kanji quickly backed away, both boys as red as cherries. “D-Dude… did we just… did we just…?!” the class-clown stammered.

“I-I-I don’t know how it… I mean, y-you kept asking me… a-a-and I began to imagine… oh, shit…!” the rebel stammered, stifling his mouth. “I’m sorry! I got too into it!”

Junpei took several deep breaths, looking at Kanji; the rebel was rocking back and forth, eyes shut tight as if he were trying not to… oh no… “K-Kanji-kun…” he rested a hand on his shoulder. “I-It’s not your fault… I mean, I-I should’ve stopped you, but… I-I got lost in the moment too!”

Kanji grabbed his shirt, shaking him. “T-This doesn’t leave this library, got it?! I-It’s bad enough people already think I’m gay, I don’t want them having fresh material! …W-Wait, this… this doesn’t make us gay, does it?”

“NO!” Junpei pushed away, composing himself. “No, no it doesn’t. I-It was just a kiss! W-We didn’t go too far… A-And I’ve got Chidorita waiting for me, and you obviously like Nao-cakes! T-This was just a spur-of-the-moment type of deal! We’re. Not. Gay! Okay?!”

Kanji nodded. “Okay… okay… right…” he put his face in his palm, standing up; still feeling dizzy, he leaned against the wall.

Junpei stood up too, leaning against the desk. “Alright… I’m going to leave first, and head to the bathroom. If someone sees you first, tell them I’ve been there for the last thirty minutes because of some bad takoyaki.”

“S-Sure,”

…

After spending the next fifteen minutes making sure their faces were clear of any blushing, flustered expressions, and exasperation, the two returned to their teams. “There you two are! Where were you? Yu and Minato already took Chie, Mitsuru and Koromaru down to the Labyrinth!” Yukari scoffed.

“We were ready to head to the final floor, but decided to do some training until you two showed up. We were starting to get worried,” Yukari added.

“Yeah, guys, what took you so long?” Rise demanded. “Fuuka and I were just about to scan for you!”

“I went to the bathroom/Got lost!” Junpei and Kanji stated together.

“Um… what?” Ken asked.

“Uh, I was looking for the bathroom, and… well, I didn’t know where it was, so Kanji was showing me where it was at--- but, we had to go to a different floor because for some reason all the stalls on this floor were taken! We ended up getting turned around,” Junpei lied.

“Y-Yeah, it was so crowded on one hallway we could barely find the stairs,” Kanji added.

“Your heart-rates have increased,” Aigis noted.

“Huh?!” Both boys gasped.

“Your heart-rates speed have increased further; your complexions have also paled.”

“U-Um, that’s because we were running to get here! Our heart-rates speed up the more we exercise!” Junpei covered. He forgot Aigis could analyze bodily functions!

“Y-Yeah! The blood-flow increases for us during battles, right?! W-We’re just pumped to get back into the Labyrinth and kick ass!” Kanji exclaimed.

“I see. Updating biology information,” Aigis replied.

“What were you two REALLY up to?” Yukari asked, suspicious.

“Would it have anything to do with Teddie talking about poinking?” Rei asked, standing by Zen and eating a corndog. “Yosuke was chasing him all over when he wanted to talk about it--- were you chasing him too?”

“No, they were in the hallway when we left,” Yosuke replied.

“What did you two do after we left?” Teddie asked eagerly, his eyes filled with curiosity.

“We went to the bathroom! That’s it!” Kanji snapped.

There came footsteps, as Yu, Minato and their team walked up. “Oh, there you guys are. Ready to head to the final floor?” Yu asked.

“Yeah, lets go!” Junpei exclaimed, racing in. “C’mon--- first one down there gets to open the chest!”

“R-Right behind ya!” Kanji added, racing in next. Their leaders shrugged, heading in with the others.

“Something’s definitely going on with those two…” Yukari surmised.

“Oh, I’m sure it’s nothing.” Yukiko said with a shrug. “After all, what all could those two do together?”

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I'd say quite a lot, Yukiko. Quite a LOT. XD


	3. It Ended With A Blush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the Group Date Cafe fiasco, Kanji finds Junpei nearby, and his behavior seems... off. It's time to get some feelings off their chest. (Part Two of Two)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You didn't think I'd leave that chapter on an awkward moment, did you? ;)

Everyone had been standing in the large room of the Group Date Café labyrinth. Minato, who had been in charge of answering the questions, answered the final one. The lights went out, spotlights shining around… before they landed on him and Yu.

Before anyone could respond, their leaders dropped through a trap door! “Shit! They’re gone!” Shinji cursed, the trap doors sealing shut.

“There must be a way down! The guardian of this labyrinth could be upon them!” Mitsuru stated, turning to the groups. “Everyone, spread out and search!”

“Over here!” Naoto called, looking beyond the teddy-bear figurines; there was a glowing pad with holographic circles shining above it. “What is this?”

“It almost looks like those transportation pads we have in Tartarus; they help us travel between floors to-and-from the entrance,” Akihiko observed.

“Yamagishi, Kujikawa, what’s your reading on this?” Mitsuru asked.

“Um.. I don’t sense anything off about it,” Rise answered.

“Akihiko is right. It is just like the return pads in Tartarus,” Fuuka added. “And I sense our leaders beyond it…”

“YIKES! I just picked up something huge! The guardian is definitely down there… and they’re going near it!”

“We have no time to waste! Let’s go!” Chie shouted, rushing towards the pad.

“Hold it! We can’t go all at once! Only 2 at a time!” Mitsuru ordered. “We can’t risk a malfunction. Everyone pair up,”

Everyone did so; Mitsuru chose to go with Naoto, Akihiko with Shinjiro, Chie with Yukiko, Teddie with Aigis, Ken with Koromaru, Yosuke with Yukari, Zen with Rei, and Kanji with Junpei.

“Shall we hold hands?” Yosuke asked Yukari when it was their turn to step on.

“Ugh, don’t even.” Yukari sneered in disgust. In a flash, they disappeared.

“You ready?” Junpei asked Kanji as they walked up.

“Yeah, let’s hurry.” Kanji replied, both of them stepping on.

In a flash, they found themselves… on a path surrounded by a bright sunny field, a cute swing tied up with flowery vines hanging off to the side swaying in the breeze, and a chapel up ahead.

“Holy shit… I think I’m going to throw up flower petals,” Shinjiro muttered as they walked ahead..

“GUYS! LOOK AT THIS!” Ken exclaimed, standing in front of a portrait… featuring Minato and Yu dressed as a bride (Minato) and groom (Yu) forming a little heart with their hands!

“What in the…?” Chie gasped.

“Gaaaaaah! Sensei married your leader?! W-When did this happen?! …And why wasn’t I the best-man?!” Teddie shouted.

“It appears to be a doctored photograph,” Aigis analyzed.

“Oh man, I gotta get a picture of this…!” Yosuke chuckled, taking out his phone--- only for it to get swatted out of his hand by Yukiko.

“Don’t you dare!” Yukiko scolded.

“Forget about the picture, guys! Our leaders are in the chapel--- and they’re about to get married!” Fuuka cried.

“WHAT?!” the entire group shouted.

Everyone ran in. “Stop! There’s no way we’re letting you two do this!” Chie shouted, then froze in her tracks. “WHOA!”

Standing before their leaders was the guardian of the labyrinth. “Thank goodness--- we thought we’d have to face this thing ourselves!” Yu exclaimed.

“Everyone, battle formation! NOW!” Minato called, as the Shadow began its attack.

…

…

_“We can’t use our Personas…!”_

_…_

_…_

_“I can’t move!”_

_…_

_…_

_“Everyone defend!”_

_…_

_…_

_“LOOK OUT!”_

_…_

_…_

…

At some point during the battle, Kanji found himself knocked out. When he came to, he found Rei healing him. “A-Are you okay?” she asked in concern.

“Yeah… I’m alright,” Kanji answered. “Did ya open up that chest, yet?”

“Not yet, we were about to,” Zen answered. Everyone stood back as he and Rei opened the box, taking out what appeared to be a plastic ring.

“Do you remember anything, Zen-kun? What about you, Rei-chan?” Yukiko asked.

“I’m… starting to… ugh, it’s no use. It’s not enough.” Zen sighed.

“I remember a little… but… I-I can’t figure it out either,” Rei replied, holding the ring tightly.

“C’mon, let’s get out of here… this place still reeks of marital bliss,” Shinjiro sneered.

Using a Goho-M, everyone went to the Velvet Room; sure enough, another lock fell off the doors. “Two down, two to go,” Akihiko said with a grin. “C’mon, let’s find that next Labyrinth!”

“I advise we rest first.” Mitsuru firmly stated. “That last battle took up most of our energy, and some of us still have damage sustained.”

“We should upgrade our equipment too, and stock up on items.” Yu added.

“You can head to Theo, see what he has. I’m going to fuse us new Personas.” Minato replied. “Does anyone want to trade theirs in?”

“Nah, I’m good with my two.” Kanji said with a shrug.

“You can take mine, dude. I haven’t been using its skills much--- but if you get one that absorbs Wind damage, that would be great.” Junpei said, handing over his spare Persona. He then stretched, folding his arms behind his head. “Well, I’m heading to the cafeteria. I’m starving,”

“Me too! C’mon, Zen!” Rei exclaimed, while munching on a corndog.

“I’m heading to the Nurse’s Station. I’m running on fumes,” Kanji said, walking out and heading inside the Nurse’s Station on the ground floor.

“Welcome,” Elizabeth greeted. “Oh! Kanji-kun, what a surprise. Have you come to make a request?”

“Nah, I just need some SP.”

“Very well. Since it’s just you, that will be 1000 yen.”

 _1000 yen?! Damn, is she jacking up the prices or something?!_ The rebel thought in disbelief. “Geez, I don’t have that much! …I’ll just go buy something from your brother,”

Elizabeth giggled. “Don’t you mean OUR brother?”

“What?!”

“Theo told me all about his tour around the festival. He was very excited at the idea of having a little brother,” she pondered. “Hmm, I wonder if my sister was that excited when I first came along?”

“Dammit, not you too…! How many of you guys are going to think we’re related?!”

“Hmm, that is a fair point. You clearly don’t sport any silver hair or yellow eyes, and it is safe to assume you know nothing of Persona Fusion or handling the Compendium. Not to mention, if you were part of our family, you would have appeared in the Velvet Room before, and I do not recall Margaret mentioning sharing it with a brother outside of Theo.”

“Er… right. That, and I have different parents.”

“Parents? …hmm… yet another conundrum. I have never given thought of our upbringing; perhaps it is because we look up to my master as a role model?”

Kanji arched an eyebrow. “You don’t know your own parents? …sheesh, where did you guys even come from?”

“Oh, that is an answer that I can answer! I have been reading biology books, and it appears in order to make a child, a man and woman must---“

“WHOA! I DIDN’T MEAN IT LIKE THAT!” The rebel took a deep breath, feeling his face blushing. Damn, talking to this chick was way too flustering! “I meant… Who raised you? Where did you live before the Velvet Room?”

“Hmm… that is quite a mystery. I’ve been there so long, I have completely forgotten. I will ask my sister later; as the oldest, certainly she would know.”

“I see… well… good luck with that. I’m outta here,”

“Please come again,” Elizabeth gave a humble bow, then went back to reading books.

Kanji walked through the festival; maybe he could play some games or something to relax. If possible, he could find a quiet place to nap; sometimes dosing off helped restore energy quicker (and was a lot less expensive). As he looked around, he passed the Group Date Café…

Seeing Junpei standing in front of it, Minato right beside him. They appeared to be whispering--- he only caught his own name.

“Oh, speak of the rebel and he’ll appear.” Minato stated, spotting Kanji standing nearby; Junpei gasped, covering his eyes with his cap.

“H-Hey, Kanji-kun. What’s up?” Junpei asked, clearing his throat.

“The hell were you two talking about?” Kanji demanded.

“U-Um, nothing. Just, ah…”

“Junpei wants to try out the questions in the Group Date Café,” Minato cut in.

“W-What?!”

“Um… is that safe?” Kanji asked with concern. “There’s only two of ya, and Fuuka and Rise ain’t around,”

“I got a Persona with Navigation abilities.” Minato handed Junpei a Goho-M and the map of the labyrinth.

“Wait… I’m going by myself? Dude, I could get swarmed! (Did you forget that incident on the monorail?!)” Junpei replied, hissing that last part as quietly as possible.

“You’re not going alone. Kanji will be with you,”

“Me?!” Kanji sputtered. “The hell…?! I just got here!”

“You need to level up. I haven’t had you on the team enough lately, this will help you catch up,” Minato replied, then turned to Junpei. “The same goes for you, Junpei. You almost got creamed back there, you could use some extra training.”

“Maybe if you didn’t always take a harem as a team…!” Junpei sneered, then shook his head. “Ugh, fine. C’mon, Kanji.”

“Er, okay… coming,” Kanji awkwardly followed him into the Group Date Café.

Immediately, the automated voice spoke: **_“Greetings, lost lambs. Here is the route that will lead you to your Destined Partner. You may choose to proceed or not to proceed. …Now, proceed.”_**

“Ugh, listening to this thing the first time was bad enough,” Kanji sneered.

“Let’s just find the doors and get it over with,” Junpei sighed, looking at the map. He followed the path that led to the first set of doors.

“Careful, guys, I sense some Shadow activity,” Minato warned them.

“Shit, which way was it…?” Junpei hissed under his breath, checking the map; suddenly he was grabbed by the shoulder. “H-Hey!”

“Watch it!” Kanji pointed in front of him, showing a patch of spikes. “You almost wandered into those spikes,”

“Oh… um, thanks.” Junpei looked at the map (though it appeared he was hiding his face). “H-Here, the doors are this way,”

Kanji took the map from him. “How about I hang onto the map, and you watch the road?”

“Hey, I’m paying attention--- ow!”

“J-Junpei!” Kanji grabbed his arm and pulled him back; around the corner was a Cupid-like FOE. “You okay?”

“Y-Yeah… damn, those arrows hurt…” Junpei said… then began to walk in the other direction!

Kanji sighed, hanging on to his hand. “It’s this way, lame-brain.”

“The FOE isn’t looking--- better hurry,” Minato informed them.

Kanji led him along, avoiding the FOE until they were in the clear; by the time they reached the doors, Junpei regained his sense of direction. “Ugh, forgot about those things.”

“It was marked on the map!” Kanji told him, pointing to a symbol on the map representing the FOE.

“THAT’S what that is? Huh. I-I guess I need to memorize what these symbols mean.” Junpei shifted. “Um… Kanji? You can let go of my hand, now.”

The rebel flinched, quickly letting go. “S-Sorry--- I mean, as much as you were stumbling around…”

“I-I wasn’t stumbling! I was reading the map!”

“You need to keep alert in this place!”

“A-hem!” came Minato’s voice. “…How about this: Kanji, YOU keep a lookout while Junpei reads the map?”

The two looked at each other. Clearing his throat, Junpei looked at the map. “T-The door shouldn’t be too far. This way,”

They made their way through the labyrinth. “Hey, Junpei-san… how come you wanted to answer these questions? You don’t really believe in this ‘destined partner’ stuff, do you?” Kanji questioned.

“Of course not! It’s obvious this whole thing was a joke from the start--- everyone knows Chidori’s the one I want!” Junpei sputtered, rubbing the back of his neck. “(dammit, Minato, why’d you put me up to this?)”

“What was that?”

“Nothing… Oh, shit. I think we took a wrong turn… oh, hey, there should be a short-cut over here!” He went around the corner.

Kanji did a double-take, and leaped. “JUNPEI, LOOK OUT!”

*Thwack!*

*Thud!*

“OOF!”

_…_

_They were in the library. He was lying on top of him, listening to his heartbeat, feeling him rubbing his back. “This… I like this,” he said quietly._

_“Yeah, I like it too,” he shut his eyes, feeling comfortable… feeling secure._

_.._

_It was the heat of the battle. Everyone was giving it their all._

_Suddenly he was bound--- he couldn’t move! He couldn’t summon his Persona, or defend… and their enemy was about to unleash a heavy attack… and he was right in front of it!_

_“Look out!” someone shouted, diving in front of him and shielding him from the attack, falling unconscious right afterward._

_“KANJI!”_

_…_

_“I-I’m confused, Minato… I mean, you know I’m into Chidori, but all of a sudden, I just… I don’t know what’s going on! …You’ve dated several times, any clue what I should do?”_

_“There’s only one thing to do,” Minato stated. “You need to talk to Kanji about this… Oh, speak of the rebel and he’ll appear.”_

_…_

“Guys…? Guys! Can you hear me?!” Minato asked, trying to reach them.

Kanji and Junpei had been lying on the ground, just staring at each other, before the leader’s voice got through to them. “Huh? Uh, yeah, we’re fine! (…um, Kanji, could you get off of me, please?)” Junpei replied, whispering that last part.

“(I’m trying, but I can’t move! Every time I try getting up, I’m stuck lying down!)” Kanji told him; there was a blush in his face, as their position was quite compromising. “(I got hit with one of those arrows…!)”

Junpei looked over, seeing an FOE. “(Oh shit… well, try lying down then maybe you’ll get up?)”

“(How can I lay down if I’m already lying down?!)”

“Uh, guys? What’s going on?” Minato asked. “Is everything okay?”

“Y-Yeah, Kanji just lost his sense of direction! Hold on!” Junpei answered. “(Just roll off me then!)”

“(O-Okay…)” Kanji concentrated, aiming to roll to the left, but rolled right instead---

*THWACK!*

“OW!” He grunted; the FOE had turned in their direction, hitting him with another arrow. “Damn FOE!”

Junpei cringed; he waited until the FOE had its back turned, then helped Kanji up, leading him around the corner to a nook, both of them sitting down. “Here, dude,” he said, giving him some Medicine.

“Thanks,”

“Listen… um… there’s something I need to say… Remember that incident back in the library?”

Kanji blushed. “Y-Yeah…? What about it?”

Junpei bit his lip, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s just… I-I can’t get over it… and then back in the fight, I was totally sealed up, and you just dived in and shielded me… and--- shit, you’ve been watching my back down here too!”

“W-What are you getting at…?”

He took in a deep breath, pulling his knees up to his chest and hugging them. “I just want to know… do you… feel anything? A-After what happened?”

The rebel drew in a breath, stunned. Just watching his reactions was making his mind go into a frenzy and his heart-rate pick up speed. And… dammit, why did he have to sit like that?! Why did he have to look at him with those blue eyes while blushing?! Did he not know how adorable he looked right now?!

_[A/N: …okay, so that last part were my own thoughts. Read on!]_

“I feel… kinda weird,” Kanji replied, rubbing the back of his neck. “What happened back there was… really nice, I’ll admit that. B-But, I don’t like you in that way! At least… I shouldn’t… I guess I’m too mixed up about it…”

“You’re not alone there…” Junpei replied, resting his chin on his arms. “I liked it too… but I also like Chidori! I feel like I lost control… but at the same time, I don’t care.” He looked at the rebel. “You… made me feel special, and the way you kept defending me…”

“I-I always defend my friends!” Kanji spoke quickly, though eased back. “I mean… you were frozen back there, a-and right now you’ve been wandering into spikes and in front of arrows--- anyone would defend ya!”

“Tch, yeah, before they’d call me an idiot and tell me to either focus or sit out until I got my act together. …I-I’m not really incompetent, I just tend to rush into things too quick...”

“Hey, me too! I-I mean, I listen to Senpai’s orders, but I’m already pent up with adrenaline before each fight! I mean, someone’s gotta kick Shadow ass, don’t they?”

“Y-Yeah! That’s how I feel!” he leaned against the wall. “When I first got my Persona… I was really pumped. I felt like a super-hero, y’know? But… I get carried away sometimes. Maybe… maybe that’s what happened? I got so caught up in the moment that I didn’t think?”

“I guess… then again, I got caught up in it too. …did I really make you feel special?”

Junpei blushed deeper. “Well… yeah… You treated me pretty nice. I bet when you get a girlfriend, she’ll know she’s in good hands,”

“C-C’mon! I can’t be the only one who made you feel that way!” The rebel said, blushing deep himself; he then noticed his friend’s solemn expression. “…am I?”

“Let’s just say… I-I’m not used to that kind of attention.”

“Oh…” Kanji shifted; after a moment, he moved closer (realizing his sense of direction had returned just then), sitting next to him. “Well, you’re not alone on that. People take one look at me and immediately take off. You said it yourself--- I’m pretty scary,”

Junpei shrugged. “I didn’t mean it. …Trust me, I’ve seen some scary dudes, Kanji—and I doubt a single one of them would melt at the sight of Koromaru. …Plus, you had a point too--- I did act like a creep,”

“Heh, you want creepy? You should see Yosuke-senpai’s attempts.”

“Ha ha, well, I can’t say my methods are better… but anyway, yeah, you made me feel special. And… thanks for not freaking out about this conversation either,”

“Trust me, I’ve heard worse. I’m just glad you were comfortable enough to talk to me about it,” Kanji rested his arms on his legs. “So… do you still feel anything?”

“A little… you?”

“Sort of… normally when something like this happens… I dunno, I get all flustered. L-Like, when I thought Naoto was a boy, and she wanted to hang out with me… then my frickin’ Shadow appeared on the Midnight Channel and made things worse…”

“So I’m not the only one who thought Nao-cakes was a boy? That’s a relief. …but what about your Shadow?”

“It’s… pretty embarrassing. See, when someone gets thrown into the TV World, they end up facing a Shadow of themselves--- at least, parts they’re not proud of. I like cute things and sewing, but since that’s considered ‘gay’, and after Naoto confused me, well… my Shadow came out as a homo-stereotype. Yosuke-senpai hasn’t let me live it down since,”

“Ouch… well, again, you shouldn’t be ashamed. Shinjiro-senpai thinks Koromaru is cute but won’t admit it either, and Minato’s in a sewing club, and no one makes fun of them. Yosuke can keep his mouth shut,” Junpei stretched out one of his legs, keeping his arm rested on his knee. “As for what happened… well, maybe we shouldn’t jump to conclusions too soon. Even if we did like each other, we’ll still be returning to our own timelines, and God knows when we’d meet up again.”

“Yeah, that’s true. …I think we’re better off as friends, anyway. It’s less complicated that way,” Kanji said with a smirk. “That, and I don’t think your ‘Chidorita’ would want me to steal her man,”

Junpei nudged him. “And Nao-cakes wouldn’t want someone like me ruining her chances with ya, either.”

Both of them chuckled, before standing up. “So… still wanted to do those ‘Destined Partner’ questions?”

“Nah… we’d better get back. Minato’s waiting on us.” Junpei replied… then froze. “OH SHIT! Minato! Did… Did you hear all that?!”

There was silence for a moment, before Minato spoke. “Huh? …Sorry, I had my headphones on. Are you guys done resting?”

“Y-Yeah. We’re coming back,” Kanji replied, while Junpei took out the Goho-M.

They appeared at the entrance within the moment, meeting up with the leader. “Well, thanks for coming along, Kanji-kun.” Junpei said, giving him a pat on the back.

“Sure--- any time you want to run around beating up Shadows, just call on me,” Kanji replied, giving his shoulder a shake, before walking off.

“…You guys didn’t train at all,” Minato stated as he and Junpei walked. Once they had some privacy, he nudged the class-clown. “So…? How’d it go?”

“…Better than I thought. Thanks again, Minato-san,” With that, Junpei walked on.

Minato smiled, walking off to stroll around. He wasn’t lying when he said he had his headphones on…

But he wasn’t playing any music.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hides from angry/disappointed JunKan shippers*


	4. Chidori

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kanji reminds Junpei about his girl back home... and making him realize she's more important to him than he remembered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One thing I didn't like about PQ is how they made Junpei hit on the other girls, despite him bringing up Chidori. I know in P3 he talked about the geishas with Ryoji, but that was during a time when she DIDN'T want to see him anymore. ...I may have added in a bit of foreshadowing in this chapter based on her arc, so apologies for the feels/spoilers. Also, sorry if Kanji seems OOC, but SOMEONE had to call out Junpei (or the writers) for his actions!

“AAAAUUUGGGHHH…!”

“J-Junpei-san!”

Kanji raced after the class-clown after he shot out of the nurse’s office; Junpei’s plan to see Elizabeth in a happi they found in the Inaba Pride labyrinth turned out to be a misfire, as the attendant only wanted it to give to her master—Igor—as a souvenir. The rebel ran after him down the hall, both of them stopping by the stairs.

“Oh man… talk about a failed mission,” Junpei groaned, sitting on the stairs. “I can’t believe it… Eliza-babe would’ve looked cute in that!”

Kanji scoffed, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. “I doubt it; it was covered in sweat and reeked when we found it, you doused it with a watering-can, and as hot as it was down there the material only ended up feeling more damp than dry. Plus, you didn’t fold it very well and it came out wrinkled--- no matter who wore it, they would look like shit.”

Junpei gave him a look. “Thank you SO MUCH for your consolation, Kanji,”

“Tch, you deserved this. Seriously, you went on and on about your ‘Chidorita’ before, now all of a sudden you’re trying to scope out other women. Consider your failed plots karma for being a bad boyfriend,”

“I am NOT a bad boyfriend! I just… I gotta keep my options open, alright? I mean, there’s a chance we’ll be stuck here for a while, a-and there’s no harm in looking at other women! Besides…” Junpei looked around to make sure no one else was around. “Minato does it all the time. He’s got, like, four different relationships going on! He almost got caught while we were cleaning up after our fest, but me and a couple other guys helped cover for him,”

“Seriously?” Kanji thought for a moment. “Come to think of it… Yu-senpai might be dating a few girls all at once, too.”

“For real? …sheesh, I wonder if girls just go for the leaders…”

( _Somewhere at Atlus, the fourth wall broke_ ).

“Yeah, well… I-I think it’s dumb to go after so many girls at the same time.” Kanji rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean… Suppose it was the other way around? Like, what if a girl I was dating secretly saw other guys behind my back? I wouldn’t want to feel like I was just part of some harem-collection,”

“I guess… that is a good point.” Junpei figured, rubbing his chin. “But… experimenting is all part of being a teen! It’s okay to shake things up, so long as things don’t get serious,”

“Yeah? What if they DO get serious? What if the chick wants to go steady? What if she gets pregnant?!”

“W-Whoa! That’s moving things way too fast!”

“But it still happens, right?! …Think, Junpei. Suppose you DID manage to become a player; what if something happened to Chidori? Like, suppose those other Strega creeps took her away, or w-what if she slit her wrists again and died?! Would ANY other girl take her place?!”

Junpei seethed, his fists clenching as he stood up. “Don’t talk like that! I’m not losing Chidori! Nothing’s going to happen to her! Not while I’m around!”

Kanji only gave him a stern look, arms still crossed. “…But you’re not with her now, are you?”

He froze; for the first time since they met, the rebel noticed complete seriousness on his face.

“…So you do still care about her?”

“Of course I do…” Junpei murmured, pulling his cap down over his face. “That’s why we need to get back. I have to see her again…”

“Then why do you keep chasing after other girls? And don’t give me any of that ‘keeping your options open’ bullshit,”

“I…” Junpei sighed, beginning to walk; Kanji walked with him. “I don’t know… maybe deep down, I’m just trying to see if it would be possible to have another girlfriend, just in case Chidori doesn’t like me back.”

“You told me before she’s always listening to you, and only opens up to you. Why wouldn’t she like you?”

“It’s just a feeling I have… It’s nothing new, so I guess looking at other girls just became a habit,” Junpei rubbed the back of his neck. “Actually… before we ended up stuck here, I stopped looking at other girls. When I’m near her, I just feel… alive. But after all this started, I realized, ‘Shit, I’m stuck in another dimension!’ and… as long as it’s taking for us to get home…”

“You’re scared you may never see her again,” Kanji paused just then, as the feeling sank in. He was stuck here too, after all--- everyone was. He thought about his Ma--- what if they were stuck here forever, and he never saw her again? Then there was Nanako--- senpai’s ‘little sister’ would be devastated if her Big Bro and his friends could never spend time with her again.

“But…” Junpei’s voice cut him out of his thoughts. “It doesn’t really give me a pass, does it? Sure, all the girls on your team are total cuties, but I’ve already got a girl waiting for me back home. I might not be her ‘official boyfriend’--- yet--- but checking out other chicas will only hurt my chances. …I forgot just how much Chidori means to me, until you brought up the chance I could lose her. Just because I’m scared doesn’t mean I shouldn’t give up, right?”

“Exactly!” Kanji smiled. “It’s no different than fighting Shadows! You gotta see it to the very end!”

Junpei paused. “Er… I don’t think that analogy fits. Maybe… It’s more like starting a sewing project. You have to put in a lot of effort to make it turn out right,”

“Y-Yeah! And, you can’t rush things--- if you do, it could turn out like crap. That, and you have to be careful how you handle things--- you don’t want to end up poking yourself or tearing something, and have to be gentle. You also have to make sure you’ve got the right materials, too, otherwise it could fall apart or wear out too quick--- make sure what you’re using is sturdy, but soft enough to provide enough comfort. Always save leftover pieces in case you can use them later, and never leave your stuff lying out…”

“Uh, Kanji? Are we still talking about my relationship, or your hobby?”

The rebel paused, blushing. “Dammit---! S-Sorry… The point is, you have to work on it carefully, if you want it to turn out good.”

“Heh heh, I figured that part out. Thanks anyway, Kanji-kun. For a youngster, you sure give great relationship advice,”

“D-Don’t call me a youngster! You may be graduating by my time, but in THIS zone we’re only one year apart!”

“Okay, okay, take it easy!” Junpei rubbed his chin again, a smile still on his face. “Hey… speaking of relationship advice, why don’t I give you advice on how to get a girlfriend?”

Kanji rolled his eyes; his gaze drifted over at an area at ‘Go You Gameland’ where a target-game had been blown to pieces by Aigis earlier; he picked up a tiny figurine of a half-naked guy with sheep-horns, examining it. “Ten minutes ago you were hoping to see another woman in a happi, and a single freshman had to remind you how much your gal means to you. I HIGHLY doubt you could help me score,”

“H-Hey, don’t put me down like that!” Junpei sputtered. “Keep in mind, I managed to get Chidorita to open up to me, so there IS something I can share with you!”

“Right,” Kanji tossed the figure over his shoulder and walked on, Junpei following him.

“No, really! Hear me out. First, ask about her interests. Now, with Chidori it was kinda hard because she doesn’t like to talk to many people, but I kept seeing her outside by the movie theater with her sketchbook and sat down to talk to her. Keep things casual, then once things get to an acquaintance level, try to wow her with a story---“

“Is that the same story where you said you were the leader, got ambushed, and held hostage?”

“Don’t skip ahead! I’m trying to give you some wisdom, here!”

“Careful not to hurt yourself.”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?!”

Kanji smirked, as a familiar conversation came to mind. “You don’t have to pretend to be a smart guy, Junpei-san. We’ve got enough experts here,”

Junpei gawked, remembering he had said something similar to Kanji before. He sneered. “…smart-ass.”

Kanji chuckled, patting him on the back. “C’mon, let’s see if our leaders are ready to go. We gotta get you home to your girlfriend, right?”

Junpei sighed, but grinned. “Right. Let’s go,”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Anyone catch the Vincent Brooks reference? XD


	5. Everything Matters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything becomes depressing when you think your existence doesn't matter. But whether you live one year or a hundred, you've still left an impact on someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers in case you haven't beaten the Festival Labyrinth yet! (also fluff warning)

Things had really died down.

Ever since Rei was taken hostage up into the Clock Tower… everything--- the illusion of the festival, the high spirits of the team, the thrills--- just dwindled.

Junpei walked around the halls. Just earlier, he had been surrounded by games, food, and fun… now the halls were empty, the stands looking abandoned, and the atmosphere just reeked of depression.

It also didn’t help that Zen--- or Cronos as he was originally called--- claimed that they would all cease to exist if they didn’t fight his ‘other self’ and rescue Rei--- or Niko, as she was truly called.

Damn, everything just went from fun to depressing… Niko having been abandoned by her mother, spending most of her days in a hospital, having been looking forward to going to a new school… and ended up dying of cancer. When Cronos came to take her to the afterlife, she realized she never got a chance to ‘feel alive’, going mad and trying to scratch her eyes out… so Cronos took her memories, and used his powers to create this place to make her happy, locking away both their memories in the Labyrinths just so they could both live in bliss…

Then SEES and the Investigation Team were summoned here in order to free their memories… all as a setup by Zen’s ‘other self’ so this world could be destroyed; worse, yet, they had the option to return to their own homes and times… but… dammit, they couldn’t just turn their backs and let this happen! So they all decided to risk being erased from existence, just so Zen and Rei could both be free…

He stopped, looking out at the clock tower; their leaders were in there now with Zen, Mitsuru and Naoto; everyone was taking turns scoping out the levels. The tower was larger than the rest of the Labyrinths, which normally only had 4 floors. This place, though… damn, they hit 7 floors before he began to wear out and had to switch out with somebody, having been sent to the Nurse’s Office in order to have his energy restored alongside a few others.

However, he had doubts the fiery spunk he felt before would return.

In a way, he could relate to Rei…

He bit his lip, leaning against the wall, his face in his palm. No, he couldn’t think about ‘that’ right now…

“Junpei-san?”

Junpei flinched; it had been so quiet in the hall that he didn’t expect anyone else to be here. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Kanji--- having come from Theo’s shop, he guessed; everyone on the team had been saving time by helping take supplies to the attendant and upgrading their weapons and armor. “Oh, hey, Kanji-kun. Did your long-lost twin brother give you some new stuff?”

Kanji sneered. “That ‘twin brother’ joke got old the first time you cracked it... and no, I didn’t have enough yen to get anything new--- even with his so-called ‘family discount’. …But let’s cut the shit. What are you doing up here? We should head down in case someone needs to switch out,”

Junpei looked out the window; everyone was heading back to the school; Minato looked drained of energy and Yu had a limp in his step--- Yosuke was helping him walk--- and the rest of the team seemed worn out from exploring as well… save for Zen, who seemed determined to continue on; a bit of coaxing from Yukari and Rise seemed to convince him to come in and rest up.

“I think we got time for a break… hopefully…” Junpei looked back up at the clock tower. “It’s weird… when we first got here, time was pretty much standing still. Now all of a sudden… it feels like we don’t have much of it left…”

Kanji nodded. “Yeah… I feel bad for Rei-san. Having all that shit happen to her, feeling like her life was worthless… I can’t imagine what it would be like,”

Junpei looked down, turning and walking down the hall. “…I can.”

Kanji looked at him. “Huh?”

He crossed his arms, his cap tilted so it hid his eyes. “My life is crap back home… My dad became an alcoholic after losing all his money in a telemarketing scam; he would always lash out and hit me, but after a few years of boozing, his hits got a little weaker… That doesn’t keep him from fighting with mom, though. They can’t go a single day without arguing about something, and she spends more of her time out of the house… I think she might be having an affair, but the hell if I care.”

Kanji’s eyes widened. “J-Junpei-san…”

He continued. “Every day… every damn day, my ol’ man tells me I won’t amount to anything in this life. My grades suck, I have no clue what I’m going to do after high school… It wasn’t until after I got my Persona that I felt I had a purpose, like my life had a meaning after all!” he let out a heavy breath. “…In our time, if we get rid of the Dark Hour, we’ll lose our Personas too. No Tartarus, no reason to fight. And… that’s kinda what scares me. W-What good is my life if I don’t have a purpose?”

The rebel walked beside him. “I don’t know what my purpose is, either…” he muttered. “Right now, all we’re focusing on is trying to catch a killer. I don’t think about what will come next because… I dunno. I’ve never given my future any thought. I was… kinda too busy being a troublemaker to give a damn about it,” he put his hands in his pockets, looking at the ground. “…My dad died when I was a kid. The last time we ever spoke was when I told him about my problem with girls teasing me for sewing, and he only told me to ‘be a man’ about it. I got pissed, thinking maybe he was ashamed of me too, even though he was the one who got me interested in it… then the next day he collapsed.”

Junpei paused, looking at him.

“I became a hardass after that… started getting into fights, staying out late, and arguing with Ma as I got older. She had to stick up for me every time the cops came knocking to complain, trying to lecture me about school when I started skipping classes, and… I dunno, I just kept distancing myself. I still loved cute things and sewing, but… I became a tough-guy to avoid any more harassment. It wasn’t until I had to face my Shadow and gained my Persona that I decided to leave that life behind… but at the same time, I’m worried after the case is closed, I could go back to it. I mean, you’ve seen how I act--- one wise-crack, and I’m ready to pound someone’s face in! …so, yeah. I can’t see a future for me, either, unless it’s behind bars.”

Junpei sighed, leaning against the wall and looking up at the ceiling. “…at least you got a parent who gives a damn about you. Mine are jerks…”

“Tch, at least you don’t have cops giving you dirty looks everywhere you go.” Kanji sneered, leaning beside him. “Plus… you got Chidori waiting for ya. Even after you defeat this Dark Night or whatever, she still may need you around.”

“Yeah, well… you got friends you can open up to,” Junpei slumped down, sitting on the floor, pulling his knees up to his chest.

The rebel sat down next to him. “But… you got friends too, right?”

Junpei shook his head. “You heard what Yuka-tan said… we’re not exactly ‘friends’. Heh, she actually looked disgusted when I moved into the dorm.”

“But that’s changing now, remember? Everyone’s opening up with each other… why don’t you?”

“It’s not that easy for me… They all see me as the class-clown. They wouldn’t really take me seriously… no one ever did.”

He felt a strong hand grip his shoulder, gently; he looked at the rebel, who was giving him a firm but sympathetic look. “I do. Junpei-san, we grew up differently--- your parents are jerks, mine tried their best… but you cover up your feelings with smiles and laughs, while I covered up mine with punches and threats. But deep down, we’re both afraid of being rejected, right? And… we want to make something out of our lives, before they’re over.”

He winced, turning away and forcing a smile. “G-Geez, Kanji-kun, when did you suddenly get so smart?”

Kanji rolled his eyes. “Maybe being around you makes me feel smarter,”

Junpei let out a snicker, his shoulders shaking… though his snicker slowly turned into a sob as he put his face in his hands.

The rebel cringed. “I-It was just a joke, Junpei-san! I’m sorry!”

“No, no… it’s fine…” he sniffled, hugging his knees. “I-I guess I’m more freaked out than I thought… like, if we never exist… will anything we’ve done have mattered?”

Kanji wrapped one arm around his shoulders, the other reaching and holding his arm, making him look the rebel in the eye. “Enough of this ‘if’ crap! We’re going to save Rei, go back home, and… have that party, alright?! Otherwise--- otherwise your Midnight Hour or whatever would keep going on and that killer would be throwing people inside the TV World, and… I don’t know, the whole world blows up! So of COURSE everything we’ve done would matter! Everything we do in life matters… otherwise we wouldn’t have existed in the first place, right?”

Junpei took a deep breath, nodding. “Yeah… I wonder… I wonder if we could help Rei realize that, too. She may not have lived long, but… she still matters. We need to help her see that,” He grinned, closing his eyes. “Heh, geez… I probably sounded like a total wimp just now, huh?”

“Yeah… but, hey, everyone has a breakdown at some point. …I have at least 10 a day, heh.”

He softly chuckled, before leaning forth and giving the rebel a hug. Kanji blushed a bit, but seeing that they were alone, wrapped his arms around Junpei and hugged him back tightly. Deep down, he was scared too… but he couldn’t show it now, not after helping the class-clown snap out of it. Instead, he channeled his feelings through his actions, holding him tight; he squeezed the rebel back, burying his face in his shoulder.

After a minute, they pulled away. “C’mon… we can’t keep Rei waiting,” Junpei replied with a smile, his confidence spiked. He stood up, holding out his hand. “Ready to kick ass and save our lives?”

Kanji gripped his hand tight, pulling himself up, their grasps locked together in determination. “Hell yeah!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Just being born... living your life... before you know it, you're already special to someone." -Yosuke Hanamura, Persona 4.

**Author's Note:**

> I very much welcome reviews. However, I will NOT tolerate character-bashing. If you don't like a certain character, that is not my problem--- shouldn't have read the story if you saw their names in the tags! Now shoo-shoo, flamers, and let the real reviewers speak!


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